I started life as a tomboy. And oftentimes I return to my roots with my love of tomboy styles. No doubt I like a ruffle and a solid sequin to my core, but I also love simple basics. And girls, do you ever notice how men love basics too? They say women dress for women not men, but this is a look that I feel will make a man take a second look. Even though it’s the simplest.
Also, these jeans feel like Spanx. They suck everything in for me so I like them when wearing this long sleeved shirt tucked in. So for a more fitted jean I go with my Mother Denim…and for a more relaxed pajama jean feel I grab my Goldsign Jeans.
Now lets talk ball caps. Here is my current favorite,Aviate Brand…and with my pilot roots, my love of Nashville and throwing on a ball cap, it’s obviously my favorite. I ordered it in every color. I have a problem with that. Whoops.
Combine it with my favorite Rag and Bone fall booties and you have a perfect relaxed look for the fall. And lastly, I’m loving less makeup for the fall. A simple two shadow eye look with a light gloss and clean face is my thing right now…oh with a million lash extensions of course…at least for a week or so.
So there you go all my comfort lovers. Fun things coming very soon!
So Fall…Y to the E to the SSSSSS!!!! I’m beside myself at the arrival of September. This is my favorite season, and my favorite fashion season as well. I love me some layers, and for the start of fall light layers is all you need. Let’s start with one of my favorite pieces. For the summer and into the winter with a layer over it, Cami NYC is my absolute favorite tank. I have every color. They’re a flirty blend of casual with a sexy feel.
I like wearing mine with anything, but here the ripped jeans give it a cool edgy look.
Now let me touch on the jewelry I’m wearing here, Miriam Designs. I love fashion with a purpose, and this is one that’s close to my heart. So if there’s anything about doing a fashion blog that I don’t love, it’s the image of perfection that seems to emerge. It looks like we may have it all together…however, it’s soooo not the case. I struggle, I’ve overcome, and I support those who have too. Thanks to a rad photographer, editing and beautiful clothes I look a certain way, but I’m definitely with ya on the days you feel not enough, in battling addictions, in falling down and rising STRONG. So in this post I want to bring it back to my soul and feature something that reaches beyond pretty clothes, makeup and jewelry. So Miriam Designs is part of the Livefashionablebrand and is a tool used to empower women both globally and locally. They started “creating jewelry and doing creative therapy with women coming out of recovery who have battled everything from addiction to depression to homelessness. Hearing from these women that it was often difficult to get jobs post-recovery, they started selling their jewelry to create jobs for the women.” Now that’s something I’m proud to wear.
And lastly, tying a Rails LA shirt around my waist for when it gets chilly is a fashion trend that I love for fall. So here’s to you strong women out there who love looking good, but know it’s really about so much more. The coolest things ever to come. Stay tuned…
I can still hear my mom say it now, “oh, you forgot, put your lipstick on!” Growing up in the ‘gloss age’ I was definitely a bit of a rebel always wearing a bright lipstick…all credit going to Lisa Ervin…who runs marathons in lipstick…and liner. I’ve always LOVED lipstick. Through the years I learned what worked. The tones, the ones that needed liners, the ones that needed gloss, how to keep it from running, how to apply it without a mirror. But today, I’ll focus on shades. I usually live in the red family always, but I branch out. Here are my favorites in the 5 big lipstick categories, Red, Nude, Pink, Orange, and Purple.
Ill start with my favorite…RED! How I love red. Here I’m wearing a goto classic, Bobbi Brown Red. It’s a great tone and it’s a stand alone color. No gloss or liner needed. I always dust my lips with a face powder before applying, and sometimes even cover them with concealer and then powder and it stays put. You have to try it. It’s a major game changer. I love so many other shades of red too, including several drugstore brands, but I’ll share those later in my drugstore post. However, if you think, “Oh I don’t want to spend $20 something dollars on a lipstick”, I get that, but I’ve literally had some of mine since high school. They last a loooonnng time.
Next NUDES…I used to be afraid of nudes, then I found the right ones. And the cool thing about nudes, you can make them. So I have on a MAC Lip Liner in Cork and a concealer as the lipstick with a nude gloss of any kind over it. I like it for a natural look like the one I’m wearing above, or with a really dark smokey eye.
And on Wednesdays(and every other day) we wear, PINK! Pinks are tough for me, but so many people love pink so I searched for a pink that I loved too. I really like a darker liner and lighter lipstick for pinks personally, but you can wear either alone if you don’t like this look. I’m wearing MAC Talking Points Liner and Saint Germain Lipstickhere.
And last but not least PURPLE. I’ve always been, and still kind of am, afraid of vamps unless it’s Halloween. However, on some people they look like a million bucks. As you can see, I’m not necessarily one of those people, but I wanted to show you. It takes the right person or occasion to pull this off, but when you do it’s a statement like no other. I did an ombre look here, which is simply created by fading the MAC Lip Liner Nightmoth into the MAC Lipstick Rebel. Vamps do make your teeth look really white though…and kind of vampirish…but white for sure.
And a big thank you again to my Mom for teaching me much more than lipstick. She’s pretty rad.
Flowers do have power. From a rose on The Bachelor to the sheer joy/terror of a flower girl of dropping tiny petals down the aisle…flowers can make real statements. Especially when you wear them…and I’ve been really into wearing them as summer waves goodbye. Also, I’ve got my fashion sources where I can find major STEALS these days. And thanks to the great feedback on the steals I’ve been finding for you I did it again! I’m talking like $15-$50 steals…really. So let’s all be flower children today…
Dress: Reformation // Booties: Laurence Decade // Legs: Gary Ervin
I have my Dad’s legs…college wrestler muscular legs…but you just have to own it. So I like mini dresses. I would even add tights or leggings and a denim jacket to this look into the fall. And these golden booties I’ve worn on the blog before, but I mean…
Booties: Laurence Decade // Less than $30 option: Qupid
I also like cool backless minis. I found some great ones of all kinds, some for less than $20 for all you college girls out there. They’re perfect for back to school and all your sorority parties. Oh and my jewels are my typical David Yurman mixed with Brooke Worthington…I’ll do a whole post on her awesome local jewels eventually.
And before the big reveal of my floral finds lets talk fall manicures…I LOVE cool and different fancy fingers. Like the one in this pic. I went to the nail salon and chose 5 fall ombre shades and went light to dark. Classic fall colors with a twist. You can do this yourself too.
So here are the floral finds…some FANTASTIC deals! All of these but one are under $100. Click to buy. Fun things coming soon!
So my makeup school fell to the back burner as I was in real makeup school and consumed with fashion posts, but I’m bringing it back this week with our third week of ‘school’. For those of you who may have just started reading, I’m taking everyone through some basics of beauty. I’m highlighting some of my favorite go to game changer products and then I’ll be going into detail about how to use them once I get you through the ‘alphabet’. Here are my L through Q…
L –LA Girl Pro Conceal – You. Will. Die. Ok, so you know I sometimes have to eat my words with inexpensive makeup, because I do believe you get what you pay for…but I’ve found some HUGE exceptions once I opened my mind. Ok, so this miracle concealer is $2.99 and is the best I’ve used yet. I found it two weeks ago and I almost died. Remember this makeover I did on my friend Shay? This is what I used.
For real I just had to show you these to prove to you how awesome is is as a concealer and highlighter. With Shay I used it more as an all over highlighter as well as concealer to achieve this look…Shay’s bone structure certainly helped, but even on the most beautiful face, like Shay’s, it makes a huge difference.
Here is my placement before I blended it with a damp small beauty blender.
M – Moonstone – Becca Shimmering Skin Perfecter – I used to be very afraid of shimmer, not anymore. I feel when applied correctly(right on the top of the cheekbone, on the bridge of the nose and on the cupids bow) it’s marvelous. This is my favorite. It makes you very J Lo.
N – Nars Bronzer in Laguna or Casino – Bronzer is a goto of mine daily, but often for different reasons. I use it for contour some days, mix it with my blush some days, or dust it on the places the sun would hit as a typical bronzer use some days. You can’t go wrong with these two shades of bronzer. Casino is darker than Laguna.
O – Olaplex Hair Perfector – It should be called life perfecter. So I’ll be doing a whole post on my hair journey…but long story short it’s full of damage and extensions for 10 years which resulted in my hair being 2 inches long last year. So I needed a miracle. In came Shay(who is my friend I used above in the above makeover, who also happens to be my hairdresser…I’ll link her salon here: Troubadour Salon). She told me about this product that was revolutionary in over processed hair. I’ve heard it all before, but then I used it and now I would swim an ocean for it. I use it once a week as a leave in conditioner and it has transformed my hair like NOTHING ever has. It’s really hard to get, so you may have to ask your hairdresser when this link sells out.
P – Primer – Makeup Forever Skin Equalizer Mattifying Base – I use this under my makeup in my t zone daily and all over on anyone who is really oily. It’s an absolute MUST to prime and prep the skin correctly before applying makeup, especially with really oily or really dry skin.
Q – Questions Most Commonly Asked – I get asked a ton of questions about beauty, but there are always a few that are asked over and over. Here they are…
Q: If I don’t like to look like I have a lot of makeup on what should I use for a base, can I still use foundation? A: Yes…and you can add your moisturizer to it to make it a tinted moisturizer. Which is a lighter version of foundation. BB cream is also a good option but why not use what you already have.
Q: What can I do about Summer/Winter varying foundation shades not matching my skin anymore…do I really have to buy a new foundation for every shade my skin may change? A: Nope…I have several shades from when I thought this was the case, but now I mix foundations to make my shade. Literally, everyday I pour a little dark a little light and I mix it on my counter or a mirror to match my shade. You can also add liquid concealer. It’s like magic.
Q: How do you keep your lipstick in place? A: I put powder on my lips before lining and putting lipstick on them. Works like a charm.
Q: I don’t do much to my eyes but want to start with a really simple shadow routine…what do you suggest? A: Bobbi Brown Bone all over, Bobbi Brown Blonde in the wide crease, Bobbi Brown Rich Brown in the outer V and on the lash line.
Q: My hair is falling out(woman, I have a different one for men), is there anything I can do to help it grow back? A: Well yes there is, and it’s a little pricey but IT WORKS! I’m using it now with my Olaplex right now and it’s growing new hair like crazy. It’s called Phylia De M. Here is the 4 piece set.
To get any of these items simply click the photo below and it will take you where to buy! Thanks so much for reading. Keep your requests coming and look for the giveaway this week…and REALLY exciting things soon.
Oh and here is where I get my hair done by Shay in Nashville…THE BEST! Troubadour Salon.
You know when you think back on an outfit and you can’t remember anything but the jewels, they’re good jewels. I love a good statement necklace. LOVE. Especially really fun custom looking pieces, like this Holst and Leeone I’m wearing. Like, party time. Not only does it make me feel like a hula girl but I feel it’s the perfect statement piece to close the summer. Another way to close the summer…stocking up on white dresses during the super sale season…I’ve found you my top ten below.
And since this post is full of great prices on some of my favorite things, here are some less expensive statement necklace options I’ve found for you before we move on to the dresses.
I don’t follow many fashion rules, including the ‘you can’t wear white after Labor Day’ rule…but if you still walk the straight and narrow that’s cool too. And for the rule followers and breakers alike, now is the time to buy. I’ve found you some of my faves, like the one I’m wearing here.
So here they are! They range from $30 – $200 and they’re going fast because of the great sale prices…so get them now!
And I have a really awesome giveaway to celebrate 10K Instagram followers and 100K blog hits coming to you this week. Ps…thank you for all your emails and suggestions of what to do next. Keep em coming!
I love all the colors but I’m particularly loving this dusty rose shade and the classic white. What’s awesome too about these shirts is how they wear. The holes get larger and larger as you continue wearing them, and in my opinion, you look cooler and cooler…I feel like some sort of wanderlust cowgirl in my older ones. I get mine at my favorite boutique in Nashville, H. Audrey. But if you’re not in Nashville, just click the link and find out where to get yours. What’s great too is they go on sale all the time and you can wear them through the fall and winter under a vest. They have long sleeved ones too.
Also, I’m really into wearing fall colors on my eyes. I always thought I’d look like a killer or Halloweenish with reds and pinks on my eyes, but they’re really nice when you blend them out. I used a neutral Bone color all over the lid first, then I used the new Anastasia Beverly Hills Shadows in my crease. You’ll see a full video up soon on how to do a fall smokey eye, but I just wanted you to know the colors in case you wanted to add them to your makeup collection. I wear them everyday.
I’ve also expressed my dedication to Rag and Bonebefore, but just incase you missed it here they are again. My absolute favorites. Any season, any outfit, any terrain. Stay tuned for some really really cool beauty and travel things coming soon. Like REALLY REALLY cool. Ahhhhh!!
Transitioning into fall, for me, is a total walk in the park. Easy. Because it’s my favorite. I can almost hear the roar of an SEC football game, feel the fur vest in my hand, smell the pumpkin pie, feel the uncomfortability of the most elaborate Halloween costume in the land…but I’m getting ahead of myself. So that’s why we’re just talking transition pieces. So when summer begins to turn crisp I just add a few items to my summer wear. Like this…
So hats. I used to feel out of place wearing hats…like I was wearing a costume or something. I really had to search for the right hat to look a part of my fall look. Thisline of Rag and Bone hatsis where it’s at. I also found a similar hat that is a bit less expensive and on sale HERE.I’m going to be doing a lot of this with my blog too! Finding steals for you. So you can get it all! Haha.
And now shoes…So these Rag and Bone Bootiesare my jam always. I have so many pairs and will do an entire blog on them soon, but they are a bit pricey. I literally wear mine year round, year after year, with outfit after outfit to justify it. However, if you’d rather a less expensive one so that you don’t have to live in them like I do I found you one that’s identical to the Rag and Bone Newberry Bootie HERE.
And last but not least layers. My favorite layering transition piece of all time is a Rails Button Down.You can wear them in every season and they’re the softest most comfortable pieces you’ll own. I go a size up in mine so they’re looser and even more comfortable. Oh and a steal of a long gold necklace like mine is HERE.
Hats off to hints of fall y’all!! Shop anything in this post right here. And I’ll be detailing my fall smokey eye makeup look I’m wearing in these pics on the blog soon. Thanks for reading friends!
